Google Earth Files of Laser Altimetry Glacier Surveys
Since 1994, the Geophysical Institute has collected over 26,000 km of laser profiles (see figure). These data are used to monitor changes in surface elevation of glaciers, and form a unique baseline dataset against which future changes can be measured.
I have converted all of the laser altimetry data from 1994 through 2007 into files that can be read and displayed by Google Earth. Some screenshots of the 2007 coverage are shown to the right, with the Harding Icefield (top), St. Elias Range (middle) and the Juneau Icefield (bottom).
To display these files on your computer using Google Earth, first download and install Google Earth if you have not already done so. Then, download the kml files from the bottom of this text box (below). When the files have been downloaded to your computer you can open them by either double-clicking on them or using the file->open menu within Google Earth. Each year is drawn as a different color, and each file name is displayed with a placemark at the end of each profile. The data in these files are decimated by a factor of 100 from the survey data, in an effort to keep the files a reasonable size.
